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theguardian.com
Drastic Dave goes vague at Diageo | Nils Pratley
There is no point in offering hostages to fortune, but the lack of detail suggests turning around drinks group could be a long jobDiageo’s once high-flying share price was already back at 2012 levels. Now the dividend is there too. Sir Dave Lewis has cut it in half, chopping as drastically as the market feared he would.But that doesn’t quite explain Wednesday’s 13% fall in the shares. Rather, that was down to two factors. First, the trading numbers continued the miserable run for the entire spirits sector – Diageo edged down its full-year forecasts again. The company is getting little help from the market, especially in the US and China. Second, and more importantly, Drastic Dave was vague about what shareholders can expect in terms of hard returns once he has administered his turnaround tonic. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Thrive Capital invested about $1 billion in OpenAI at a $285 billion valuation, source says
The investment was separate from the $100 billion funding round that OpenAI is finalizing, according to a source.
theguardian.com
Doom Bar maker Sharp’s Brewery in Cornwall to be closed by US owner
Molson Coors says site, as well as national call centre in Wales, ‘no longer financially sustainable’The Cornish brewery that makes Doom Bar ale is to be closed by its US owner, throwing the popular beer brand’s future into doubt and putting about 200 jobs at risk.The drinks company Molson Coors said it plans to shut Sharp’s Brewery in Rock, Wadebridge, along with its national call centre in Wales, saying it was “no longer financially sustainable”. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Prediction market Kalshi fines MrBeast editor over insider trading
A former California governor candidate was also disciplined as the platform cracks down.
theguardian.com
British public want deeper economic ties with EU, business secretary says
Peter Kyle signs cooperation deal on competition and says there is little nostalgia for pre-Brexit pastThe British public are “not nostalgic” for the pre-Brexit past but are pragmatic and want to move forward and “deepen” ties with the EU on trade and the economy, the business secretary, Peter Kyle, has said.Signing an agreement in Brussels to cooperate closely on competition issues, Kyle said he thought the deal was “a real vindication of the reset and the relationships that have emerged between the EU and the UK” since Labour came to power. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
John Lewis scraps £500m deal to build 1,000 rental homes
Retailer said ‘fundamental shift in economic conditions’ made it hard for financial partner Aberdeen to raise fundsThe John Lewis Partnership is pulling out of a £500m deal to build almost 1,000 residential rental homes for rent in Bromley, Reading and West Ealing amid a “cautious property market”.The retailer, which owns Waitrose supermarkets and John Lewis department stores, blamed a “fundamental shift in the economic conditions”, which it said had made it difficult for its financial partner, Aberdeen, to raise funds for the venture, first launched in 2020. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Larry Summers to resign as Harvard professor as Epstein files fallout continues
Larry Summers last fall said, "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused," after his emails with Jeffrey Epstein came to light.
cnbc.com
Samsung launches S26 smartphone as sector braces for memory chip crunch
The latest generation of Galaxy phones touts enhanced AI capabilities, but supply chain concerns hang over sector
cnbc.com
Bill Gates addresses Epstein files in candid town hall days after last-minute speaking cancellation
Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" in a meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, which had held fundraising discussions with Epstein.
cnbc.com
Are collectibles a viable asset class? The buyer of the $16.5 million Pokémon card thinks so
AJ Scaramucci thinks trading cards have experienced tremendous growth, and thus they, and other collectibles, are great alternative investments.
cnbc.com
Epstein files: Nobel winner Axel quits Columbia U. brain institute over friendship with predator
Dr. Richard Axel, a longtime Columbia University professor, is mentioned repeatedly in the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Department of Justice.
cnbc.com
Anthropic updates Claude Cowork tool built to give the average office worker a productivity boost
Companies can connect Claude Cowork to existing tools like Google Drive, Gmail and DocuSign.
theguardian.com
Diageo slashes dividend and vows to address Guinness shortage in London
Drinks maker reduces sales and profit forecast for second time in four months amid weak demand in US and China Diageo has slashed its dividend and cut its annual sales and profit forecast for the second time in four months, as the maker of Guinness warned of capacity constraints affecting drinkers of “the black stuff” in London pubs.The world’s largest spirits maker – which owns brands including Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker whisky and Don Julio tequila – lost more than £5bn of its market value on Wednesday as it reported weak demand in the US and China in the first results released under the new chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis. Continue reading...
bbc.com
John Lewis pulls out of housebuilding business
The retailer began expanding into housebuilding in 2020 but it is scrapping those plans to focus on retail instead.
cnbc.com
World's biggest spirits maker Diageo falls nearly 13% after slashing dividend, lowering profit outlook
European stocks ended higher on Wednesday as global market nerves eased and investors parsed through several earnings reports.
theguardian.com
Treasury calls in Blair thinktank to advise on using AI across public services
Unimpressed tech equity campaigners compare move to ‘inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse’Ministers have called in Tony Blair’s thinktank and private tech companies to guide them on deploying AI across the UK government in a move campaigners compared to “inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse”.James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, chaired a meeting on Wednesday with the director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), the chair of IBM and senior executives at AI companies including Faculty AI, now part of Accenture, and Dex Hunter-Torricke, a former communications adviser at Google, Facebook and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Labour ministers exploring ways of easing burden of plan 2 student loans
Government looking at options such as increasing loan repayment thresholds amid growing pressureMinisters are examining ways to ease the burden of student loans after weeks of pressure over a policy pulling more people into repayments, the Guardian understands.The Treasury and the Department for Education are reviewing different options to offer relief to those with plan 2 student loans, which often leave graduates in England and Wales paying tens of thousands more than the original loan amount. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
European defense companies should step up collaboration to fix 'fragmented' sector, Leonardo CEO tells CNBC
The European defense landscape remains "fragmented", Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani told CNBC.
bbc.com
Household energy bills to fall in April after charges shake-up
Changes announced in the Budget mean all energy bills will see some kind of reduction, but it will vary.
bbc.com
Tesco to cut 180 jobs within its head office
Chief executive Ken Murphy says Tesco must be “efficient and agile” to compete.
theguardian.com
Why the energy price cap in Great Britain is falling from April
Cap on average dual-fuel bill is to be reduced by 7% to £1,641 a year, but the saving is less than the chancellor promised• Energy bills will fall by £117 for millions of households in Great Britain from AprilThe average energy bill for millions of households will fall by £10 a month in the spring, after Ofgem said the price cap would fall by 7% owing to a shake-up in green levies.The price cap is revised by the energy regulator for Great Britain every three months. It said that from April the cost of the average annual dual-fuel bill would drop to £1,641, down from £1,758 today. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Student loan crisis in England and Wales is a scam against graduates, MPs say
Labour backbenchers turn on Rachel Reeves as MP claims former students are stuck in a loans ‘Hotel California’Angry backbench Labour MPs have attacked ministers over the student loans crisis, saying graduates are being “outrageously scammed”.During a Commons Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, several Labour MPs joined calls for an urgent shake-up of the “unfair” system, with one describing it as “an absolute dog’s dinner” and another likening the terms to something that a “loan shark” would offer. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Bill Gates apologizes to foundation staff for Jeffrey Epstein ties
Microsoft co-founder admits affairs and calls meetings ‘huge mistake’ but denies involvement in Epstein’s crimesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxBill Gates apologized to staff of his foundation for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to two affairs but stated he did not participate in the convicted sex offender’s crimes, according to a Wall Street Journal report.At a town hall on Tuesday, Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, said it was a “huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and to bring Gates Foundation executives to meetings with Epstein. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
David Tepper sends scathing letter to Whirlpool for destroying shareholder value, pushes for changes
Tepper said he watched with "a certain astonishment" as the company issued equity in what he called a large and unnecessary dilution of shareholders.
cnbc.com
These 4 charts show the scale of Novo Nordisk's woes
Despite being first to launch a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, Novo's market share has eroded, and the company now only captures about 40% of the market.
cnbc.com
HSBC annual pre-tax profit drops over 7%, revenue jumps as bank's results top estimates
Europe's largest lender HSBC on Wednesday reported annual pre-tax profit of $29.91 billion, beating the bank's estimates.
theguardian.com
Germany accused of ditching climate targets as it scraps renewables mandate
Coalition government agrees to remove parts of controversial law and allow homes to rely on fossil fuels Germany’s coalition government has been accused of abandoning its climate targets after agreeing to scrap parts of a contentious heating law mandating the use of renewables in favour of a draft law allowing homeowners to rely on fossil fuels.While the previous law required most newly installed heating systems to use at least 65% renewable energy, often with a heat pump, the amended legislation will allow households to keep using oil and gas. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
How did Epstein ensnare so many rich men? By knowing they were entitled and insecure | Emma Brockes
The sex offender could exploit these masters of the universe because, despite their privilege, they still felt short-changed by lifeOne of the things that has been frequently puzzled over as the effluent of the Epstein story flows on, is how a college dropout who thought it was cool to do typos managed to persuade the world’s most powerful into his lair. What, precisely, was the nature of his “genius”? Was it blackmail? Was it the social pyramid scheme of using one big name to reel in another? Nothing has come close to explaining it until, with the latest crop of details from the Epstein files, something has become suddenly clear: that it wasn’t the trafficked girls and women who Jeffrey Epstein groomed. The man’s real talent, if we want to call it that, was in the grooming of his cohort of associates.This isn’t to say, of course, that the men and occasional woman who threw in their lot with a man we must straight-facedly refer to as “the dead paedophile” weren’t culpable. Nonetheless, if you study the huge amount of Epstein-related material, from the New York Times’s deep dive into his finances to the vast cache of correspondence contained in the files, a picture emerges of a man who did the kind of number on his peers that you would more commonly see directed at victims. While multiple survivor testimonies indicate that Epstein regarded the girls and women he trafficked as of such low consequence he didn’t even need to bother to groom them – per Virginia Giuffre’s account, Epstein raped her the first time they met – all of his resources, via a variety of tactics, went into capturing the allegiances of powerful men.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Normally staid bond investors have a new biggest worry: An AI bubble
Investors expect a surge in bond issuance from hyperscalers, according to a new survey.
theguardian.com
Slow progress on Heathrow’s third runway should be national concern, boss says
Thomas Woldbye says major funding model decisions need to be taken if the airport is to meet government timetableHeathrow has reported falling profits and a squeeze on passenger growth, as its boss said that slow progress on its “underestimated” £33bn third runway scheme should be a national concern.Thomas Woldbye, the chief executive of Heathrow airport, said major decisions on its funding model and the legal underpinning for expansion needed to be taken by regulators and government this year if the airport was to meet the timetable set down by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, for construction to start by 2029. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
MPs back UK broadcasters in push to expand sport’s free-to-air ‘crown jewels’
Terrestrial channels seeking more legislative protectionNumber of Labour MPs are understood to be supportivePublic service broadcasters are making renewed attempts to persuade the government to expand the list of televised sport’s free-to-air “crown jewels”.A call from the then BBC director of sport, Barbara Slater, to add the Six Nations Championship to the group A list of events that must be offered to terrestrial channels was rejected three years ago, but a group of Labour MPs is understood to be working with broadcasters to force a change of policy. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Ineos said to be in talks to sell parts of business to tackle rising debt
Talks reportedly focused on assets of owner Jim Ratcliffe’s vinyls business Inovyn as group scrambles to cut costsThe chemicals empire owned by the billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is in talks to sell parts of the business in the hope of raising hundreds of millions of pounds to tackle its rising debts, according to a report.The talks are at an early stage but have focused on selling assets from Ratcliffe’s vinyls business, Ineos Inovyn, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the matter. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
US tariffs could rise to 15% or more after supreme court blow, trade representative says
Jamieson Greer warns tariffs may climb from 10% after Trump imposed global levy amid US supreme court setbackThe US tariff rate for some countries will go up to 15% or higher from the newly imposed 10%, Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, said on Wednesday, without naming any specific trading partners or other details.“Right now, we have the 10% tariff. It’ll go up to 15 [%] for some and then it may go higher for others, and I think it will be in line with the types of tariffs we’ve been seeing,” Greer said in an interview on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria program. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Is TikTok the new frontier for fashion reinvention?
How a young designer got brought on to help redesign a legacy sports brand following a TikTok post.
bbc.com
Martin Lewis on what the new energy price cap means
Typical household energy bills will fall by 7% in April, regulator Ofgem has announced, following a shake-up in charges by the government.
theguardian.com
Aston Martin to cut 20% of workforce in effort to save £40m
Details emerge after struggling carmaker reports pre-tax losses of £363.9m for 2025 The luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda is to cut its workforce by 20% as it looks to save about £40m after reporting widening losses.The group, which said earlier this month it was consulting on its latest redundancy programme, said it would reduce its workforce by up to a fifth, or about 500 employees, after action at the start of last year that cut 170 jobs. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
The ‘golden age of America’? Trump delivers the State of the Union address – podcast
Donald Trump made history again on Tuesday evening, delivering the longest State of the Union address on record. But while the president declared the ‘golden age of America’, many Democrats boycotted the event, telling the country Republicans are ‘making your life harder’.The Guardian’s Jenna Amatulli talks to Rolling Stone’s Nikki McCann Ramírez about Trump’s claims, the Democrats’ rebuttal, and how the speech will land with a divided nation Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Why Xbox’s corporate shake-up matters for everyone who plays games
With its longtime figureheads stepping aside, Microsoft’s gaming division faces a pivotal moment, raising questions about whether it can still balance creative ambition with corporate strategy in the age of AI• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAnd so it’s all change at Xbox. Last Friday it was announced that the CEO of Microsoft’s gaming division, Phil Spencer, is to retire, while its president Sarah Bond is resigning. In their place, a new partnership: Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty is promoted to chief content officer, while the new CEO is Asha Sharma, who moves from her post as president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product.In a company-wide email, Spencer stated that he would stay on until the summer in an advisory role before, “starting the next chapter of my life”. For her part, Bond issued a statement on her LinkedIn account: “I’ve decided this is the right time for me to take my next step, both personally and professionally.” It was all extremely good natured, but its doubtful these airy missives tell the full tale. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Not even potholes will hold up self-driving cars, UK firm predicts
Wayve says it's confident all cars will one day be autonomous, as it announced more than a £1bn in additional investment.
cnbc.com
2026 CNBC Changemakers: Women leaders who defied the odds to reach the highest levels of success
The 2026 CNBC Changemakers are women defying the odds to reach the highest levels of success in fields from AI to healthcare, retail, sports and entertainment.
theguardian.com
Trump touts ‘drill, baby, drill’ agenda – but no mention of climate crisis
President derided Biden’s ‘green new scam’ during State of the Union address, and hailed the rise in US oil productionTrump didn’t say the words “climate change” during the State of the Union, but it loomed large over his 108-minute speech as he touted his “drill, baby, drill” agenda and derided Joe Biden’s “green new scam”.Toward the beginning of his address, the president discussed last year’s flooding at Camp Mystic in Texas, saying they were “one of the worst things I’ve ever seen”. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘Big Four’ meatpackers under fire as beef prices soar
McDonald’s and other food industry players accuse the big beef packers of collusion and price-gouging. The packers deny these allegationsOn 21 November, at the end of the first shift at the Tyson Foods beef processing plant in Lexington, Nebraska, all workers were called to the lunchroom and told they no longer had jobs. Many gathered afterward in the gravel parking lot. Some wailed and cried out.“It’s a terrible thing to know that we won’t be able to pay rent, won’t be able to pay the electricity, our cars – all the bills coming our way,” said Constancio Perales, a 64-year-old worker born in Durango, Mexico, who has worked at the plant since 1996 – the last 25 years cutting the bone out of chuck steaks. “It’s very sad that they would fire us like that – just telling us there’s no more work, as if to say go away.” Continue reading...
bbc.com
Gucci criticised for 'AI slop' images ahead of major fashion show
Users of social media - where the marketing campaign has been launched - say it is out of keeping with Gucci's reputation for luxury.
cnbc.com
What to expect from the next round of U.S.-Iran talks as Trump threatens Tehran
The upcoming talks come as the U.S. continues to build up military forces in the region and as Trump warns of "bad things" if Iran doesn't agree to a deal.
bbc.com
Aston Martin cuts 20% of workforce as losses widen
About 600 jobs will go at the luxury car maker, which in part blames US tariffs for its troubles.
bbc.com
New travel rules for UK visitors kick in - how are you affected?
From 25 February, a new system will come into force which will affect many people, including British dual nationals.
bbc.com
What is happening to gas and electricity prices?
Typical household bills will fall by 7% when the new energy cap takes effect on 1 April 2026.
cnbc.com
Nvidia, Microsoft back self-driving firm Wayve as it hits $8.6 billion valuation
The $1.2 billion Series D round was led by Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2
cnbc.com
CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: What's at stake in the countdown to the Trump-Xi meeting
Beijing has a lot on its plate in the next few weeks ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's planned China visit.
cnbc.com
Trump makes little mention of China in the longest State of the Union speech
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing from March 31 to April 2, after a year of heightened trade tensions between the two countries.
theguardian.com
Energy bills will fall by £117 for millions of households in Britain from April
Ofgem cap drops by 7% to £1,641 a year for consumers’ average gas and electricity costsBusiness live – latest updatesAnnual energy bills will fall by £117 for millions of households from April after Rachel Reeves’s plan to cut £150 a year from bills was partly foiled by rising costs.The energy regulator Ofgem’s quarterly cap will drop by 7% for the three months from April to £1,641 a year for the average combined gas and electricity bill in Great Britain for those paying by direct debit, from £1,758 under the current January-March cap. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Russian firms have routed $8bn of trade through British island territories since invasion of Ukraine
Anti-corruption group Transparency International has catalogued ‘sanctions circumvention’ channelled through ‘unaccountable jurisdictions’Russian companies have used Britain’s secretive island territories to conduct $8bn (£5.9bn) of trade since the invasion of Ukraine, according to a report that highlights the flow of goods ranging from oil-drilling equipment to luxury yachts linked to Moscow’s political elite.The analysis, published a day after the fourth anniversary of Russia’s assault on its neighbour, raises questions over the role played by the British overseas territories in enforcing sanctions designed to turn the screw on the Kremlin.Yachts linked to allies of Vladimir Putin.Drilling kit for Kremlin-backed oil projects.Coal linked to Ukraine’s pro-Russian ex-president.A jet linked to the Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Why Chile is the latest LATAM country to be caught in a U.S.-China power struggle
The spat comes just days before a Latin American leader's summit in Miami and two weeks before Chile's incoming right-wing government takes over in Santiago.
cnbc.com
South Korea and Japan stocks hit fresh highs amid regional gains after Wall Street's AI relief rally
Asia-Pacific markets rose, tracking Wall Street gains after after investors' concerns around AI disruption to select industries eased.
theguardian.com
Jobs, gas prices and ending wars: factchecking Trump’s State of the Union claims
The president’s lengthy speech to Congress contained myriad inflated, misleading or simply false claimsAnalysis: Why longest-ever State of the Union address was most inconsequentialUS politics – live updatesSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump officially made the longest State of the Union address in history on Tuesday night, with broad claims about the successes achieved during the first year of his second term.But the speech that stretched across more than an hour and 41 minutes was filled with strong statements, many of them inflated, misleading or simply untrue. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
CNBC's UK Exchange newsletter: With shares up 1,200%, Rolls-Royce’s CEO has lots to shout about
As with its aircraft engines, there are a lot of moving parts to Rolls-Royce — not least in some of its newest ventures.
theguardian.com
Trump has lost the ability to entertain. Sadly, he hasn't lost the ability to offend | Moira Donegan
Throughout the speech, Trump seemed tired. He had difficulty reading from his teleprompter; he gripped the podium with a tightness bordering on desperationIt is one of Donald Trump’s unique talents that he reveals the absurd obsolescence of long-held traditions. In presidential election years, his screaming bloviations on stage make the exercise of gathering the candidates together seem futile. In power, when he divorces facts from policymaking and relies instead on myth and grift to guide his decisions, he renders useless and impotent vast fields of expertise.When he lies in public, and insists that his fantasies and distortions will dictate the course of government action, he makes those of us in the news business wonder if there’s any point, any more, in gathering and printing the truth.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
bbc.com
House prices in Wales rise faster than UK average - see how your area compares
Some areas have seen average house prices increase by 7% in the past year, according to ONS data.
cnbc.com
Trump says Iran wants a deal more than the U.S. as American forces build up in oil-rich Middle East
Iran wants to make a "deal" more than the U.S., President Donald Trump said Tuesday, ahead of a third round of bilateral talks in Switzerland later this week.
bbc.com
Shein's elusive boss hails Chinese roots in rare public appearance
His speech follows years of the firm focusing away from China as it moved its headquarters to Singapore.
cnbc.com
The global M&A boom is rolling into 2026 as AI sparks deal frenzy — but cash is getting tight
Markets are betting that the global M&A surge has not yet finished, as Wall Street recovered its appetite for large-scale financings.
theguardian.com
Now everyone can come to the cottage as Heated Rivalry house listed on Airbnb
Giant glass box on the side of a lake the setting for Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s secret getawayFor Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov it became the safe house at the edge of the world.Now Heated Rivalry fans can relive some of the hit television show’s steamiest moments in Barlochan Cottage, tucked away on the granite-edged shores of Ontario’s Lake Muskoka, which has just been listed on Airbnb. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
U.S. Supreme Court tariff ruling will likely allow India to keep buying Russian oil
India is unlikely to eliminate Russian oil imports and the U.S. may not have enough leverage to push New Delhi to do so, analysts say.
cnbc.com
Governments are rushing to hoard critical minerals as the 'resource nationalism' era arrives
A new race to secure critical minerals is unfolding across the global economy.
bbc.com
Paramount boosts Warner Bros offer to rival Netflix in takeover bid
Warner Bros says the latest proposal could convince it to abandon the deal it struck with Netflix.
cnbc.com
Software stocks rebound as Anthropic announces new partnerships
Cybersecurity and software names have sold off heavily in recent weeks as investors fretted about potential disruption from artificial intelligence.
cnbc.com
Anthropic joins OpenAI in flagging 'industrial-scale' distillation campaigns by Chinese AI firms
Anthropic accused three Chinese artificial intelligence enterprises of engaging in coordinated distillation campaigns, the latest American tech firm to do so.
cnbc.com
Register now: Applications open for the World's Top Fintech Companies 2026
CNBC and Statista chart the top fintech players from around the world, ranging from startups to Big Tech names.
bbc.com
US threatens Anthropic with deadline in dispute on AI safeguards
The AI developer laid out red lines on military use of its products, a source said.
bbc.com
Discord delays age verification plans after user outcry
Users were unhappy about plans for age verification to require facial or ID scans.
bbc.com
Apple says some Mac Mini production will move to the US
The technology giant had pledged to increase investment in the US by $600bn, under pressure from Trump.
bbc.com
Google apologises for Baftas alert to 'see more' on racial slur
Google said the news alert was an error that should not have happened.
bbc.com
Everything you need to know about the new school uniform law
New guidelines have been issued by the Department of Education in the wake of law changes on uniforms.
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on Donald Trump’s tariffs: a nostalgia that misreads a changed world | Editorial
The US president fights 1970s battles in a financialised age. America faces not a payments crisis but a slow erosion of industrial and technological powerWhen the US supreme court voted 6-3 last Friday to strike down Donald Trump’s tariffs, he was incandescent. Two judges he had elevated – Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett – were suddenly recast as traitors to the cause. Both were, he insinuated, under the sway of foreign interests. The court ruled that the tariffs overstepped the powers the US Congress granted under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Mr Trump responded by reaching for a 1974 trade law, invoking “international payments problems” to slap on a 10% tariff for 150 days.Mr Trump was moulded by the 1970s. His political DNA was formed in that era’s crises and he governs as if America were still in the Nixon era of shock politics. In some ways there are parallels. The political mobilisation around economic insecurity echoes that period, as does distrust in elite authority. This explains why many populist politicians on the right reach for the 1970s, which fits the mood of decline and rivalry and offers a narrative of “restoring strength”. Internationally, Mr Trump also sees the world through the 1970s lens of industrial rivalry and trade grievance. But the world today is in a far more financialised and interdependent state. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on temporary accommodation bills: short-term fixes must be backed up by housebuilding | Editorial
Liverpool council’s success in negotiating with landlords is a model of how to save to invest in housingLocal authorities are experiencing some of the highest temporary accommodation bills on record. Councils in England spent £2.8bn last year on homeless accommodation – a 25% increase on the year before and a 100% increase since 2020.How did the bill get so high? The government’s redistribution of social housing stock from public to private hands is largely to blame. Instead of creating the “property-owning democracy” Margaret Thatcher envisioned, her right to buy created a nation of landlords, selling off 2m social homes – 41% of which are now rented out. This, alongside cuts to housing benefit so steep that the subsidy now covers only 2.4% of rental properties in England, ensures a steady queue of homeless people knocking on council doors – with similar problems faced by the devolved administrations. Councils end up paying landlords eye-watering amounts to house homeless people in the same properties that the government sold for as little as 30% of their market value. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Overcoming the angst of auto-renewal | Letters
Readers respond to Adrian Chiles’s column about needing to keep an eye on the cost of services regularly paid forRe: Adrian Chiles’s column (My breakdown cover was extortionate – and that taught me an important lesson, 18 February). My dad was a member of the AA for 60 years and called them out about once a decade in all that time. When he died last year aged 91, we noticed, like Chiles, that the premiums were very high, and rang to move the account to my mother’s name and see if we could reduce the cost. The answer (without any condolences or recognition of Dad’s loyalty to the brand) was: “No.” Unsurprisingly, we are no longer with the AA.Louisa ClarkeHenley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire• Adrian Chiles has fallen foul, like most of us, to pernicious insurance auto-renewal. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Panama cancels China-linked port deal, hands canal terminals to Maersk, MSC
The simmering dispute has become a geopolitical flashpoint between Washington and Beijing, with Panama caught in the crossfire.
theguardian.com
‘A feedback loop with no brake’: how an AI doomsday report shook US markets
Shares in Uber, Mastercard and American Express fall on back of apocalypse scenario posted on Substack US stock markets have been hit by a further wave of AI jitters, this time from yet another viral – and completely speculative – warning about the impact of the technology on the world’s largest economy.The latest foreboding is from Citrini Research, a little-known US firm that provides insights on “transformative ‘megatrends’”. Its post on Substack, which it called a “scenario, not a prediction”, rattled investors by portraying a near future in which autonomous AI systems – or agents – upend the entire US economy, from jobs to markets and mortgages. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Reddit fined £14m for 'concerning' child age check failings
The UK's data watchdog said the failings meant children could be exposed to harmful material online.
cnbc.com
Nvidia earnings report collides with Wall Street skepticism over AI spending
Nvidia is the only megacap tech stock to notch gains this year as investors have turned cautious on the hefty amounts of spending on AI infrastructure.
bbc.com
Reform vows to overhaul pension schemes for new local government workers
Reform plans to end more generous defined benefit pension schemes for new local government workers if it wins office.
theguardian.com
Why the student loans row is escalating and what it means for graduates
What is behind the growing anger over plan 2 student loans and what could reforms mean for graduates?Pressure is building on the government to reform the student loans system, with politicians and campaigners piling in, and a minister conceding there are “problems” with the current set-up.Yesterday the consumer champion Martin Lewis – who last month locked horns with Rachel Reeves – became engaged in a war of words with Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, on live TV. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Chocolate kept in anti-theft boxes as shops warn it's being stolen to order
Retailers and police forces tell the BBC that thieves are targeting chocolate and selling it on.
theguardian.com
‘It’s more exciting than Tesco’: can traditional fishing lure Cornwall’s young people?
Taster days and training are offering teenagers an escape from a future of part-time, seasonal work – and giving a boost to a declining industryIt’s mid-morning on a rare calm day in Newlyn, Cornwall. Will Roberts is back at the quayside with a catch of mackerel to unload, having set off from the harbour before dawn. At 22, he is something of a rarity here, one of a handful of young fishers running his own small commercial boat from the port.“It’s a magical feeling when you set out in the dark, with no one else around, and see the Milky Way in the sky above you,” he says. “I couldn’t imagine working in an office or somewhere indoors, and not be surrounded by all of this.”Potential recruits learn more about career opportunities at sea at a taster day for young people in Newlyn Continue reading...
theguardian.com
‘People yearn for stability’: the Thames Water sewage plant at frontline of its crisis
Weighed down by underinvestment and uncertainty, staff at Maple Lodge just want to get on with the jobIt is a grey day in a wet week but one of Thames Water’s neglected plants is still coping. Wastewater is being pumped into the vast Maple Lodge sewage treatment centre in Rickmansworth, just off the M25, at a rate of about 3,000 litres a second, within capacity.The site manager points out the first-line screens that catch everything that will not pass through a 5mm filter. A “sheep” – a bundle of wet wipes, sanitary pads, cotton buds, condoms and indigestible bits of sweetcorn – is rotating at one edge. Credit cards and false teeth have been known to end up here. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Number of workers on zero-hours contracts hits record high ahead of crackdown
There has been a 181,000 increase in the number of zero-hours contracts since Labour was elected.
bbc.com
Trump Organization unveils plan for 'Australia's tallest building'
The tower will be built on Queensland's Gold Coast and be 335 metres high, taller than the Shard in London.
theguardian.com
Why does the RBA only have one blunt tool? We ask the deputy governor - podcast
Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Andrew Hauser speaks to economics editor Patrick Commins and business and economics reporter Luca Ittimani about the 2025 surprises that led to the first interest rate rise in two years.Hauser also responds to last week’s criticisms by Tim Wilson, the newly appointed shadow treasurer, that the RBA has not down enough to curb inflation. And we put to the deputy governor your audience questions about house prices, economic inequality and how shoppers can respond when they think companies are ‘taking the p’Read more: Continue reading...
bbc.com
FedEx sues for Trump tariff refund
The US Supreme Court ruling that the US president overstepped when imposing levies paved the way for firms to seek a refund.
bbc.com
Orbital space race heats up in Arctic north
Europe lags far behind the US and China in orbital space launches, but new facilities are opening up.
theguardian.com
No business like snow business: blizzard shuts down the north-east US – in pictures
As another major storm brings to the area up to 2ft of snow, people brave the weather to commute and shovel Continue reading...
bbc.com
Company director jailed over £7m airline parts fraud
The judge said the actions were a "more or less complete undermining" of rules designed to ensure passenger flights are safe.
theguardian.com
‘Progressive membership’: Ukraine’s economic resilience shows future for EU business tie-ups
Joint ventures on defence, green energy and telecoms suggest how country could join bloc in stages rather than wait for full statusWhen the first Ukrainian-designed drone to be made in a German factory rolled off the production line last month, Volodymyr Zelenskyy knew it marked a turning point for the economy.With drone-making joint ventures also well advanced in Finland and Denmark, war-torn Ukraine has shown how its businesses can adapt and break out of their bomb-threatened domestic confines, becoming more integrated into the EU’s industrial network with each passing day. Continue reading...
bbc.com
When is the Spring Statement and what might be in it?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will give an update on her plans for the UK economy when she gives a statement alongside an economic forecast on 3 March.
theguardian.com
‘We’re hungry, there are no jobs’: a South African township’s desperate gold rush
A rumour on social media brought dozens of fortune seekers to a field on the outskirts of mining town SpringsIn a township 30 miles east of Johannesburg, a mechanical digger filled in holes in the dark brown earth, bringing to an end a brief but intense gold rush that saw dozens of fortune seekers descend on what was once a cattle field.Less than two weeks ago, a rumour spread like wildfire on social media: someone had found gold while digging a hole for a fence post in a field on the edge of Gugulethu, an informal settlement of dirt roads and metal shacks on the outskirts of mining town Springs. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Meet the Australian farmer planning to get the US hooked on camel milk – video
After a decade of supplying the domestic camel milk market from a 130-hectare (320 acre) farm in south-east Queensland’s Scenic Rim, owner Paul Martin wants to start supplying the product to the United States. He hopes to export 60,000 litres this year – the first shipment in what he believes could one day become a major new commodity for the country. Guardian Australia's Joe Hinchliffe visited Martin's farm – one of the first commercial camel dairies in Australia – to learn how you milk a camel, and what its milk tastes like How an Australian farmer is planning to get US consumers hooked on camel milk Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Why are homegrown apples in the UK more expensive than imported bananas?
From flooding in Peru to the fight for fair wages, a lot more goes into the price of fruit than what supermarkets charge consumers forWhy have apples increased so much in price in the UK? They seem much more expensive than bananas, even though many are homegrown, and so don’t have to travel halfway around the world.It seems bananas (sorry) that fruit grown in the country where it is being sold costs more than produce which has been shipped thousands of miles. But, unlike other goods, such as petrol, the price we pay at the supermarket for fresh food has become detached from the cost of getting it there. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Are you cut out for living and working in Antarctica?
Jobs are available on the icy continent for chefs, plumbers, carpenters and even hairdressers.
theguardian.com
‘Doubling down on meat’: is the UK’s love affair with vegetarian food over?
McDonald’s, Wagamama and others scale back plant-based choices in the UK in favour of ‘high-margin’ meat-led dishesIn 2021, vegetarianism and veganism were booming and menus reflected it. Restaurants and fast-food chains rapidly expanded their meat-free offerings, racing to meet growing demand from diners. McDonald’s launched its first plant-based burger, joining a wave of operators embracing non-meat options.Fast forward to 2026 and the landscape looks markedly different. Last month, the fast food chain announced it was axing most of its vegetarian range – sparing only its McPlant burger – owing to weak sales. Wagamama has removed some vegan dishes from its menu, while Domino’s has also scaled back its plant-based options. The final Veggie Pret, a standalone concept store from the high street sandwich chain that started in 2016, closed in February 2024. Continue reading...
bbc.com
When the retail staff can't help you
This customer might be feeling trolled, in this scene from Small Prophets.
bbc.com
How do you modernise mango farming?
India's mango farmers are being urged to innovate as climate change makes cultivation "unpredictable".
bbc.com
The two farms in Senegal that supply many of the UK's vegetables
During winter in Britain fresh produce is sent by cargo ship from the West African nation every week.
bbc.com
Why youth unemployment is rising
Unemployment in the UK rose to its highest rate in nearly five years at the end of 2025
bbc.com
Netflix and Paramount are battling for Warner Bros. Who is likely to win?
What to know about the two firms' blockbuster battle to control Warner Bros Discovery.
bbc.co.uk
File on 4 Investigates
Can boxing do more to look after its fighters?
bbc.com
Reddit's human content wins amid the AI flood
Reddit says its human contributors are valued amid an internet awash with AI-generated content.
bbc.com
Trump eyes Venezuela visit – but obstacles to his oil plan remain
The US president wants American energy firms to start extracting the crude but they are reluctant.
bbc.com
The US economy is growing - so where are all the jobs?
As hiring rates and job openings drop, some worry a tough job market could be here to stay.
bbc.com
Get a grip: Robotics firms struggle to develop hands
Developing a durable and affordable hand is one of the biggest challenges in robotics.
bbc.com
Who is billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and how did he make his money?
The industrialist and Manchester United co-owner has apologised over comments he made about immigration.
bbc.com
The Dutch love four-day working weeks, but are they sustainable?
The Netherlands has the lowest working hours in Europe, but some say it is harming its economy.
bbc.com
How £50m 'fish disco' could save farmland
Innovative tech scares fish away from nuclear cooling pipes.
bbc.com
Why food fraud persists, even with improving tech
Even with sophisticated technology it is still difficult to detect fake foods.
bbc.com
The real impact of roadworks on the country - and why they're set to get worse
There is a fine balance between the benefits of improved infrastructure, versus the cost of disruption. Does the country have it right?
bbc.com
Why the railways often seem to be in such chaos over Christmas
Parts of Britain’s rail network will close for engineering work over the festive period - but is that the right time to do it?
bbc.com
Budget 2025: What's the best and worst that could happen for Labour?
Three days in, after a tax U-turn and partial climbdown on workers' rights, Laura Kuenssberg looks at what impact Budget week might have.
bbc.com
Has Britain's budget watchdog become too all-powerful?
Ahead of this week's Budget, some have accused the Office for Budget Responsibility of being a "straitjacket on growth"
bbc.com
The curious case of why Poundland is struggling during a cost-of-living crisis
Why - in an age where so many of us are feeling the financial pinch - are some budget shops on UK high streets having such a tough time?
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